Lessons Learned
by animezebra
Summary: For someone who claims to be on top of the world, Chad Dylan Cooper has a lot to learn. Review please!
1. Chapter 1

I've seen Fast Friends, and am super excited for the next one (and SO glad I have Fios, lol). I called it from the very first scene together, so I'm rather proud. I think it's kinda fast, but we'll see where the writers take it.

So this first chapter was written after the first episode with Chad, I think. It's not AU, but it doesn't really fit into any episode. I guess we could call it a missing moment from whenever you choose. I hope you like it. Please review and let me know how I can improve. It's been a while since I've written anything. thanks!

Disclaimer: Don't own Sonny with a Chance or anything connected to it. Would be awesome though, wouldn't it?

Lessons Learned

In her defense, she tried not to laugh. Perhaps not as hard as she could have, but she did try.

He, on the other hand, did not bother to soften his glare. "Stop that. It's not as easy at it looks," he muttered, tugging at the lopsided strip of red cloth around his neck.

"It's too funny. Wait till I tell the others."

He chose to ignore her giggles and resume his struggle.

Her smile softened at the frustration on his face. "Here, let me." She batted away his hands and stepped close.

He stood stiff, uncomfortably aware of how close she was to him. She was chattering away about a proper method, but all he could focus on was that her hair smelled really good, like some type of flower. He was trying to unobtrusively figure out what the exact scent was when she stepped away, smiling.

"And that is how you tie a tie."

"How do you know how to do that?"

"My dad taught me. Oh wait," she reached her arms around his neck, and he jumped away from her.

"What are you doing?"

She shot him a strange look. "Fixing your collar." She reached up and adjusted the collar, smoothing the tie down. "There. Need anything else? I can fix your hair too if you want," she teased.

Normally, he would have a witty comeback ready and waiting, but the tingle that ran through his body at her touch confused him. He just shook his head mutely, staring at her.

"Chad? Are you okay?"

The concern in her voice woke him up. It was bad enough she had such a strange impact on him; no need for her to know it.

"Wow, I didn't realize you Chuckle City people were multi-talented." Lame, but it managed to distract Sonny, which was he wanted in the first place.

She rolled her eyes, annoyed. "A thank you would have sufficed." She glanced at her watch. "Whatever, I've got rehearsal."

He watched her walk off, unconsciously fiddling with his tie. Before he could stop himself, he called out to her.

"Hey, Sonny." She stopped and turned around, obviously preparing for an insult

"Yeah?"

Deep breath. "Thanks."

A/N: I usually hate adding these at the end, but I have a question. I'm debating on making this a chapter fic on different lessons Sonny can teach Chad (or vice versa). Let me know if you think I should keep going or if you have ideas for it. I'm actually getting some as I write this. Thanks so much you guys!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow…you can't imagine the grin on my face now. Getting reviews in my inbox made me so happy!!! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and who gave me their opinions on the story. I really, really, really appreciate it, and I'm planning on replying to those reviews this weekend. I got some fabulous suggestions that I'm definitely taking into consideration. Thank you so much. You guys have inspired me to continue!

So here's the next chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I'm going to post it up anyway. Please keep reviewing. It helps me get better when I get honest constructive criticism from others. So, even if you don't like it, please, please tell me why so I can improve! And sorry to anyone who expects a lot of fluff. It's there, but that's not so much the focus of the chapter or the story. It's more about Sonny's impact on Chad as a person. That's not to say I won't do one of those because believe me I have ideas on that, haha. But please, if you have any other ideas of different lessons, suggest them! If I use your idea, I'll give you a shoutout at the beginning of the chapter :-)

Disclaimer: Sonny with a Chance is not mine. It's Disney Channel's. Disney seems to own a lot of things that I'd love to have…

Chad hunched over his notebook, hands in his hair. "How am I supposed to explain the evolution of Beatrice and Benedick's relationship?" he muttered. "I don't even understand what they're saying to each other."

"You know, they say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

He groaned at the sound of an amused voice. " Go away, Munroe. I don't have time to deal with you now."

"Somebody's grumpy." She peered over his shoulder. "Whatcha doing?"

He threw a hand over his notebook protectively. "It's nothing."

The mischievous look in her brown eyes had never boded well for him. "It looks like something to me."

"I'm very busy, so if you could just leave, that would be great," he snapped. Something in his voice made her pause and look him in the face.

"Anything I can do to help?"

_Like I'm going to let her know about my problems_, he huffed to himself, gathering up his crumpled attempts at his homework. Glancing at the sincerely curious expression, he sighed. She was stubborn enough to pester him until he told. "I'm failing English."

Sonny laughed. "That's what the great Chad Dylan Cooper has been losing sleep over? Failing a class?"

He chose to ignore her teasing. "How did you know I wasn't sleeping?"

"Um, the fact that you keeled over into your crème brulee and started snoring in the cafeteria today kind of tipped me off," she said dryly.

"Yeah, well…I've got this really important test coming up, and I need to ace it to pass. But I've been so busy with the new season of the Falls and then there's that movie I just finished shooting and all the promotions I have to do for it. I mean, I can't help that everyone wants a piece of Chad Dylan Cooper!"

She arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, the conceited thing doesn't work when you yawn in the middle of it. So what's this test on?"

He groaned. "Shakespeare, but I can't understand this guy at all." There was no way he was going to be able to pass this test.

"Well, English happens to be my best subject."

He cocked his head, narrowing his eyes at her. "So?"

"I could tutor you for the test."

Alarm bells went off in his head. "You? Tutor me?" She nodded. "And what would I have to give you?"

"Nothing but your undivided attention during our tutoring sessions."

He scoffed. "Yeah, right. I don't know how it works over there in your little love fest in chuckle city, but at the big boy shows, we know that nothing is ever free."

The mocking, sarcastic tone irritated her, and he knew it. The girl rolled her eyes in frustration, hands on her hips. "Do you want my help or not?"

It didn't make sense to him, so he had to ask. "Why would you want to help me?"

She shrugged. "I owe you for helping me out with the Eric thing. Besides, we're friends right? And friends help friends without anything in return."

Friends? Since when were they friends? He had to admit that he hadn't exactly been nice to her. To be fair, she fought back. Their constant arguments and prank wars did not constitute friendship in his mind.

She must have seen the disbelieving look on his face. "Okay maybe not friends. But we're not exactly enemies. We're…well, something in between." She sighed. "If it makes you feel better, think of it as me repaying my debt for your pretending to be Eric."

He sized her up. Sonny Monroe had proven that she wasn't afraid to scheme and fight dirty if she thought she needed to. But he also knew that deep down she was a nice girl. He took a deep breath. "Fine. But we tell no one."

"Deal." She stuck her hand out, and they shook on it. "Now we need to discuss meeting times. Oh, and I need to know which plays you're reading." She rambled on in, and he nodded distractedly. He was more focused on the warmth that had raced up his arm and lingered even after he had let go of Sonny's hand.

Maybe he should give this friends thing a try.

A/N Kudos to anyone who gets why I picked Benedick and Beatrice hehe


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So sorry for the long delay guys. School's been a little hectic, but now it's spring break! I should be studying for my MCATs, but I was inspired and have spent the last couple of days trying to make this idea work, lol. This one was hard to write; I kept getting stuck. It was definitely you guys that kept me going. Your reviews are so positive and enthusiastic that I grin every time I see a new alert in my inbox. It makes my day! I love hearing from you guys. Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think of this chapter. I like the idea a lot, but I'm not sure if I got it down the way I wanted it. I'm posting it up anyway cause it's been a while. I hope you like it!

Oh, I've got to give a shout out to an anonymous reviewer. Most of you guessed the Benedick/Beatrice thing correctly. For those of you who don't know, in Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing," Benedick and Beatrice fight like cats and dogs to fight their attraction to each other. Sounds familiar, huh? But this reviewer asked if it was caused I found Benedick's name funny. The review amused me immensely, so thanks "me"!

Ooh, and I just saw the latest episode…I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'll just say this: watching Chad in this episode made my heart smile. Can't wait for the next one!!! Wow, this is such a long note. Hope you guys don't mind, lol.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Kinda wish I could have Sterling Knight, if only for a day....

* * *

"Why am I here again, Mitch?"

The producer of Mackenzie Falls gave him a stern look. "Put a lid on it, Cooper. You brought this on yourself."

"It wasn't my fault. I-"

The older man cut him off, sighing wearily. "I don't really care whose fault it is. The fact is you ended up on the front page of Tween Weekly covered in frozen yogurt while dumping soda on Sonny Munroe's head."

"She had just ruined my new suit!"

Mitch rubbed his temples. "This is damage control, Chad. We can't let the world think that the two casts don't get along. So go pretend to have a good time with the kids from So Random for a couple of hours so the press have a new story."

"But-"

Again he was interrupted. "I don't want to hear it. Just go."

Chad stormed off, ignoring Mitch's mutterings about hormonal teenagers. This was ridiculous. There were so many other things he could be doing right now, and yet here he was, at an ice skating rink, pretending to make nice with the comedians from So Random, and it was all Sonny Munroe's fault.

His scowl deepened at the sight of the girl gliding gracefully across the ice. Ever since that girl had shown up, his life had become…complicated. She made everything so difficult, yet he couldn't ignore her like the rest of her friends. He wasn't sure he was ready to even think about the reason why she got under his skin, but she did. And regardless of what the tiny voice in the back of his head said, he absolutely did NOT like it.

"You know, my mom always told me that if I keep making faces, it will get stuck that way." A pause. "Although on you, that would be an improvement."

He rolled his eyes. "Munroe, you are a laugh a minute…not. Besides, you can't improve perfection."

He watched, slightly amused as she visibly restrained herself and pasted on a smile as a camera flashed in their direction.

"Chad, why don't you come out and skate with the rest of us?"

"No I don't think I will."

She sighed in exasperation, lowering her voice. "Chad, I'm trying to get along with you. Why do you have to be such a baby about this?"

"I am not acting like a baby," he huffed, insulted at the very idea.

"So why won't you just come out on the ice and fake it at least?

He sighed. Sonny Munroe was the most annoyingly persistent person he knew. "I don't know how," he muttered.

"What?"

"I don't know how to skate."

"I can't hear you."

"I said, I don't know how to skate!" he shouted, startling her.

"What do you mean you don't know how?

He shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide his embarrassment. "It was never something I learned. I was too busy." His childhood had consisted of going from auditions to commercials to photo shoots. There was never time to be normal, his parents, his agents, everyone had told him. Not if he wanted to be a star.

She cocked her head, surveying him with a curious look. "Wow. You must have missed out on a lot."

Uncomfortable with her scrutiny, Chad changed the subject. "Well, you seem to be able to do this pretty easily. How'd you learn?"

"I'm from Wisconsin. Skating's part of our public transportation system." A grin lit up her face as she twirled on the ice. "Lucy and I used to spend all out time skating during the winter. There's a pond near my house that's frozen for most of the year, and we'd just skate until our fingers and toes turned blue." A faraway look filled her eyes. "There's something magical about moving across the ice. I feel like I'm flying, and nothing can bring me down."

Chad stared at her. He couldn't help it. Whenever Sonny talked about home, she lit up from the inside, and it was impossible not to notice how her eyes shone and her smile was wider and...

He blinked to see her waving a hand in front of his face impatiently. His uncomprehending gaze moved from her hand to her face. The words slipped out before he could even begin to comprehend the situation. "I'm sorry, did you say something? I stopped paying attention after I heard Wisconsin."

Something like regret hit him as he registered the slightly hurt look on her face before she hid it. "Never mind then." She started to skate away.

"No, Sonny, wait." In his hurry to stop her, he stepped out onto the ice and promptly lost his balance, flailing his arms and grabbing the handrail in a last-ditch effort to keep from falling flat on his face in front of Sonny…and the press.

He looked up to see her doubled over in laughter. "You weren't lying when you said you couldn't skate."

He groaned and picked himself off the ice, clinging to the metal bar on the side of the rink. "Easy to laugh when you're not the one in pain."

She tugged at her gloves, a little nervously, he thought. "If you want, I can teach you how to skate. It's a lot of fun."

Chad Dylan Cooper did not like making a fool of himself. He was about to refuse haughtily and get off the ice while he still had some dignity. Then he made the mistake of looking at her face.

And something inside him decided that he couldn't say no to her when she was looking at him with those smiling, hopeful eyes.

"Fine. But only if you promise that I won't fall."

"I can't promise that, but I can pretty much guarantee you'll be better than Nico and Grady in no time." She grabbed his hands, not noticing the disconcerted, slightly flustered look on his face. "Now just follow me. Relax, bend your knees a little. Push off on your right foot and then your left. Good." She quietly coached him, holding onto his hands and skating backwards while he got his balance. After a few spills, he began to get the hang of it.

"Hey, I'm doing it!" Sonny grinned from beside him. He had insisted on doing it on his own, but she hadn't moved far from his side, a fact that pleased him a bit too much for his liking.

"Told you you'd catch on."

He grinned and nudged her shoulder with his. "Well I had a pretty good teacher."

A pretty blush filled her cheeks and he smiled to himself as the two skated side by side.

Mitch sighed, tugging at his hair. They were so wrapped up in their moment that they didn't notice the reporters whispering to each other or the camera flashes.

"Teenagers," he muttered.

* * *

A/N: Well…that turned out a little different than I expected, but I think overall I liked it. I tried to stay faithful to the characters as I understand them. Sonny's a very trusting, open girl, and from the last chapter we can see that she considers Chad something of a friend, so it doesn't seem too far-fetched to me that she would tell Chad something personal like that. I hope the little insight into Chad's childhood was realistic too. I'll only know what you think if you review, so please do!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N I am SO sorry at the ridiculously long delay guys! I got caught up in studying and life and lost my motivation for this until a few days ago. And I'm also sorry for those of you who got alerts and then found the chapter missing. I put up the chapter but then found several errors in it so I took it down to fix it. When I tried to put it back up, went all wonky on me and wouldn't let me upload. :-( But it's finally here! It's not very long, but I kinda like it. PLEASE let me know what you think. I really value your opinions, especially when I get constructive criticism because then I can try to fix it.

This chapter is dedicated to one of my best friends who came up with the idea for this chapter. Toni, I know you gave me the idea a couple of months ago at Panera, but I wasn't inspired till tonight. I hope you like it!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonny with a Chance. Boo.

* * *

Chad hated working late.

Mr. Condor and Mitch wanted him to work on his lines for the next show, and he did his best acting when on set. He would have made Portlyn stay, but she claimed to have a family emergency and ran off before he could tell her that her dog's plastic surgery consultation did not count.

He locked up his dressing room and moved quickly toward the parking lot. There was something creepy about walking through the darkened hallways of the normally busy studio. Not that he was scared. Not at all, he reassured himself as he walked quickly through the empty building.

A voice made him pause. Someone was still here? At this hour? Even the janitorial staff wasn't here this late. Confused, he looked around for the source of the noise.

It seemed to be coming from the kitchen. His brow furrowed. Who was in the kitchen now? And why were they…singing?

He peeked in the door and rolled his eyes at the sight. He should have known.

Sonny was standing at the counter with an apron tied around her waist, singing softly as she stirred something. He leaned against the door frame, listening to her voice. There was something strangely intriguing about watching her move gracefully around the kitchen. She obviously had a knack for the domestic, something he hadn't picked up on. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't think to announce his presence until she turned around and spotted him in the door

She jumped, dropping her bowl. "Chad! What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that question."

Her eyes narrowed. "That's none of your business. Oh, look what you made me do. Now I've got to start all over again."

He shrugged. "Sorry. Nice apron."

Despite her irritation, Sonny couldn't help but grin as she glanced at the cow-patterned apron. "Thanks. It was a gift from my dad before I left. To remind me of home, you know. Ooh, and look." She pressed the pocket, and it mooed. "Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever." He straightened, looking around. "So what are you doing here? Decided you needed a back-up in case being funny doesn't work out?"

"No," she bit out. "I'm baking cookies, or at least I was. Thanks to your unwanted presence, I've got to start from scratch."

He couldn't help but be curious. "Why are you baking at the studios? Don't you have an apartment?"

She sighed, beginning to mop up the spilled batter. "Tawni slept over and used my oven for her shoes and her makeup. Only she forgot to tell me, and when I tried to pre-heat the oven, I ended up with melted lipstick and mascara all over the walls and her blue Christian Louboutin pumps."

The explanation was too confusing to bother with, so he ignored it. "If you wanted cookies that badly, why didn't you just buy them?"

"My grandma's birthday is the day after tomorrow. We always baked together, so I was going to send her some cookies I made from a new recipe. I wanted it to reach her on her actual birthday, but if I don't finish them tonight, they'll never make it to Wisconsin on time."

Her distress. He sighed. "Do you want some help?"

She laughed. "Chad, that was actually funny. Maybe you'er not so hopeless after all."

Seeing his offer dismissed so casually did not so well with the boy. "I was serious. With two hands it'll go faster, so let me help out."

"You." She raised her eyebrows. "Have you ever cooked anything in your whole life."

"I've been in the kitchen before." He had been five, and the cook chased him out after he tipped over a pot of soup. It still counted.

It was obvious she was hesitant, so he put on his most charming smile. "Come on. It was sort of my fault you spilled the first one. Let me make it up to you." He refused to think about why he was offering—no, begging—to cook just to help her out. Chad refused to think about why he did a lot of things when it came to Sonny. It was just easier that way.

A slow smile spread across her face. "Ok. That's surprisingly nice of you, Chad." She paused and glanced around suspiciously. "There are no cameras in here are there?"

He rolled his eyes and tossed off his jacket, rolling up his sleeves. "Don't be so paranoid. Just tell me what to do first."

Reluctantly she pointed to the counter. "Fine. Can you crack two eggs into that bowl over there? I need to get more flour."

He nodded, and she disappeared through a side door. For the first time in his life, Chad Dylan Cooper picked up an egg.

"How hard can it be?" he muttered, moving it around in his hands. Awkwardly he smacked the egg against the edge of the bowl.

"Sonny!!!"

The girl rushed into the room, a huge bag of flour in her hands. "What? What happened?"

"I got egg all over my hands!"

She hefted the bag onto the counter and turned to him, hands on her hips. "So? Wash it off."

He shuddered as he regarded the sticky mess on his hands. "It's so...."

"Honestly, Chad. Cooking can get messy. I thought you said you knew your way around a kitchen."

"I said I've BEEN in a kitchen before. Doesn't mean I touched anything. And now I'm all gross."

Sonny bit back a laugh at the forlorn look on his face. "You've never even cracked an egg before?"

"Stars of number one TV shows don't have to crack eggs. They hire people to do stuff like this for them."

She shook her head at his arrogance. "Ok, you drama queen, just watch me." She grabbed an egg from the bowl and tapped it gently against the edge of the bowl and smoothly cracked it open, allowing the yellow liquid to fall into the bowl with a splat. "It's not that hard. Just don't hit the egg too hard. Now you try."

Hesitantly he picked up another egg and copied her actions. He managed to get it all in the bowl, including half the shell. He considered the glop curiously.

"I didn't know that they cooked the shells with the egg."

"That's because they don't" Sonny replied with exasperation as she fished the pieces of shell out. "Chad, this is not difficult. Try one more time. Just tap it and then kinda pry it open. Here, I'll help you." She moved behind him and settled her hands over his, directing his movements. In a second the yolk landed smoothly in the bowl.

"I cracked an egg." There was a mix of awe and some disdain in his voice as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I told you it wasn't hard." She grinned at him, the warmth in her eyes sweeping over him. Suddenly, he was very aware of how close he was to her, closer than ever before. He glanced down at her hands, still resting over his. She followed his gaze and snatched them away. "Sorry," she muttered.

He didn't say anything, just kept his eyes on her face. Without thought, he rested his hand on her face softly, brushing his thumb against her cheek. Her slight intake of breath did something to his stomach, and he quickly moved away, creating some distance between them. "You had some flour…" he trailed off, looking anywhere but her face.

"Oh, thanks," she said, wiping at her face. "So…um…"

He cut her off. "So what's next?"

"Oh." She grabbed onto the subject change, obviously relieved. "Now we need to mix together the flour and the other ingredients. Let me just grab a bowl."

While her back was turned, he reached over to the counter with a sly grin.

"Can you get the –" Sonny stared in horror at the flour all over her favorite apron and then narrowed her eyes at the smirk on his face.

"Oh, it's on."

* * *

A/N: The mooing thing is completely unoriginal, but the imagine of Sonny's grin and Chad's freaked out expression while her apron mood just cracked me up too much not to put it in. Oh, and I don't know anything about baking, so if any details are wrong, I'm sorry, lol.

There will probably be one more chapter. Any ideas on how to wrap this up guys? I know there are so many Channy fans out there, so I'd definitely love to hear your ideas.


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